


Survival of the Fittest

by cherrylove



Series: Southside Struggle [1]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, Multi-POV, Shameless AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2017-05-15
Packaged: 2018-08-09 00:18:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7779241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrylove/pseuds/cherrylove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Cat and Ned Stark died, Sansa and her four siblings moved in with their Aunt Lysa in Grandpa Hoster’s old house on the South Side of Chicago. The Starks never had it easy money-wise, but they got through it and were a happy family. Moving in with Aunt Lysa, who had her own issues and a touch of what Sansa’s twin, Robb, suspects is paranoid schizophrenia and their sick cousin, Robin, was a shock for the Stark siblings.</p><p>Sansa took over the care of the kids along with bringing in the majority of the money for the family with Robb’s help. She dropped out of high school at the end of junior year, opting for a GED and working full-time while Robb pulled a part-time job and finished school. Between the two of them and Robb’s best friend, Jon Snow, they manage to keep the family afloat while the younger kids ran small jobs in the summer. It wasn’t quite the life Sansa imagined for herself growing up, but it was her life and she was doing her best to make sure they stayed afloat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Sansa

When Cat and Ned Stark died, Sansa and her four siblings moved in with their Aunt Lysa in Grandpa Hoster’s old house on the South Side of Chicago. The Starks never had it easy money-wise, but they got through it and were a happy family. Moving in with Aunt Lysa, who had her own issues and a touch of what Sansa’s twin, Robb, suspects is paranoid schizophrenia and their sick cousin, Robin, was a shock for the Stark siblings.

Sansa took over the care of the kids along with bringing in the majority of the money for the family with Robb’s help. She dropped out of high school at the end of junior year, opting for a GED and working full-time while Robb pulled a part-time job and finished school. Between the two of them and Robb’s best friend, Jon Snow, they manage to keep the family afloat while the younger kids ran small jobs in the summer. It wasn’t quite the life Sansa imagined for herself growing up, but it was her life and she was doing her best to make sure they stayed afloat.

“Arya! Come on, you need to get out of bed!” Sansa yelled, banging on her bedroom door.

She pushed open the door to the boys’ room, “Come on, Rickon, this is not the day to turn into your sister…”

She ripped the covers from his body and tapped on Bran’s bed, “Time for breakfast and school kiddo.”

Sansa turned, leaving the room, and pulling her hair up into a messy bun as she went down the stairs. She pulled two boxes of cereal down from the top of the fridge and got the milk out.

The bathroom door banged open and she looked up to see Robb, walking out of the bathroom while zipping up his pants.

“Get the bowls down?” she asked, moving to the laundry basket on top of the dryer.

“Got ‘em.” Robb moved from around the counter and set bowls out next to the boxes of cereal.

She fished around for a pair of jeans and shimmied into them, “Was Robin up when you peeked in on Aunt Lysa?”

“Yeah. I think he’s getting another cold. He sounded all mucus-y. Maybe pick up some of that cold stuff on your way home?” Robb suggested, pouring a cup of coffee for both of them. “I don’t think she’s moved since she got in bed a couple days ago…”

“Okay. Will do. I’ll try to stop by the clinic too. I think Jon said he was going to bring leftovers from the restaurant for us tonight. I might be picking up a shift at that bar I worked at last summer after my shift at the hotel,” she told him.

Robb nodded and sat down with his own bowl of cereal. Arya, Bran, and Rickon came tumbling down the stairs and shoving each other as they fixed bowls of cereal.

“Guys! Hey! Keep it together please,” Sansa scolded.

They calmed down a little and sat down at the table with their bowls. There was a knock at the back door and then it swung open. She took a long drink of her coffee as a chorus of “Jons” echoed in the kitchen. She stripped off the tank she was wearing and pulled on a t-shirt and then a sweater.

“Hey Jon. Coffee’s in the pot, man,” Robb said, standing from the table and patting his best friend on the back.

Sansa turned around and sat down heavily in the chair as she pulled on her winter boots, “You still good to bring us leftovers from the restaurant tonight?”

“Yeah, course,” he told her, pouring a cup of coffee.

“Awesome. You’re a lifesaver, you know that?” she asked, standing up and moving to put her cup in the sink.

“I do what I can,” he mused before making his way into the living room with Robb.

She looked to the table where he siblings plus their cousin, Robin, sat, “Alright, time for backpacks and out the door to the bus, please.”

Arya pulled on her backpack and then her hat, “I’m working at the store today so I should have some money for the electric tonight when you get home.”

She smiled weakly at her sister, “Thanks. Now go, you can’t be late.”

She watched as Arya and Bran walked out with Rickon rushing Robert out the door. She sighed as the door closed and leaned against the counter, sipping coffee. She had several minutes until she needed to leave to catch the El, the main metro line they used to travel distances from their side of town (she and Robb sold their cars long ago to keep the family in the way of electricity and water), to her hotel job and she was going to savor the quiet that she was only ever afforded when everyone was gone or it was just she, Robb, and Jon in the house.

She glanced to the living room where said boys were pulling on jackets and scarves, getting ready to head out to their own jobs. She called goodbye to them as they lifted hands in waves and set to cleaning the morning’s dishes. Sansa wasn’t sure exactly when Jon started contributing to their household and the squirrel fund (their stash of money to get them through the winter and spring since the younger kids couldn’t work then) but she knew that there were some months that without him, they wouldn’t have made it. All the kids had their own ways of bringing in money, but ultimately they were kids and couldn’t bring in much. She wasn’t sure how she could ever thank Jon for the help he gave them or how she would ever be able to pay him back.

Sansa put the last mug on the drying rack and found her own coat. She slipped it on before tugging her hat on over her auburn hair and slinging her bag over her body. She moved through the first floor of the house, turning off lights, and leaving through the front door.

Trudging through the snow towards the El, she passed the house where Margaery and her brothers lived. They were only slighty better off than Sansa and her family, but they were generous nevertheless whenever they could be. She plucked a cigarette from the pack in her coat pocket and puffed on it leisurely as she made her way down the street.

As she boarded the El, she couldn’t help but think that when Robb went off to college in a week and a half things were going to get a lot harder at home. She wouldn’t have anyone to help with the kids or check in on Aunt Lysa. Sansa knew that they would need to talk about his schedule and when he’d be back at the house and try and figure out who could help with the kids when she was working.

This was her life: living paycheck to disability paycheck to social security check (they were down to three now that she and Robb were over 18), staring out the grimy window of the El at a yellow tinged city, and struggling to figure out childcare. Not exactly the glamorous life she thought she’d be living when she pictured her future at fifteen. Sansa’d dreamt of college and perfect boyfriends, but these days her dreams included paying bills on time and a reckless night out at the club coupled with a half-decent lay once a month. Not exactly glamorous or what she’d had in mind, but this was it. This was all her life would ever be and she was going to just have to be okay with it.

When Sansa arrived at the hotel, she threw on an apron, clocked in, and grabbed a cart to start her rounds cleaning rooms. She hated the hotel and all the gross rooms she’d cleaned up over the past year or so, but it paid well and it was the only job she’d had in the last several years that didn’t give her a hard time about having to leave for one of the kids or being late.

She was half an hour away from the end of her shift when the cellphone in her apron pocket began to ring. Sansa took a look around the hall and pulled the phone from her pocket.

“What’s up?” she answered, pressing the phone between her shoulder and cheek as she pushed the cart down the hallway.

“Lysa is gone. Again, and it looks like she took half the squirrel fund with her,” Arya’s dry voice told her.

She could hear the open and close of the fridge in the background and Rickon arguing with Robin, but nothing was louder than the sound of her heart pounding in her chest.

“Are you sure? You’ve called around to all her usual haunts? Checked the spot under the porch?” Sansa asked.

“Yup. I checked down at The Wall and sent Bran and Rickon out to check the other spots,” Arya told her.

“You counted the squirrel fund twice right?” she asked, chewing the inside of her cheek.

“Of course I did. Half of it is definitely gone,” Arya scoffed.

Sansa sighed heavily and leaned against the wall, “Alright. I’ll call Robb and then we can figure it out. Make sure everyone gets a bath and does homework until we get home?”

“Can do…” there was a long pause, “I gotta go. Rickon is trying to convince Robin to jump off stuff again.”

The connection ended and Sansa shoved the phone back in her apron pocket, getting back to her rooms. She was definitely going to have to pick that shift up at the bar now that half the squirrel fund was missing. It was usually the only reason they made it through this time of year with their electric bill being higher and at least one of the kids needing new winter boots.

“Fucking Lysa…” she murmured, coming to a stop outside her next room, “Housekeeping!”

She knocked, unlocked the door using the master keycard, and pushed into the room, the door swinging shut behind her.

Arya

The Stark family’s transition to the South Side of Chicago had been difficult for all of them, but it was probably the easiest on Arya. She was the middle child and unlike most middle children, she was a bit of a troublemaker. She was more familiar with the principal of their old school than her teachers and the only thing she really liked was ROTC. She was treated the same as the boys, something she fought for at home since her mother always wanted her to be like Sansa.

She was relieved when Sansa told her their new school would have an ROTC program too and that she’d already gotten her all signed up before they moved into Grandpa Hoster’s house with their weird aunt and her son. Arya found herself more often than not those first couple of months, burying herself into the competition team and the projects Beta Company, her company, were working on.

She didn’t get into her first fight until after Christmas break when she’d begged Sansa for a haircut and her older sister, who was normally great with haircuts, accidentally took too much off and she ended up with a way too short haircut that made her look like a boy. All it had taken was one too many girls calling her a dyke at lunch time for her to snap and her fists to start flying.

That was the first time she met Gendry. He was the one who pulled her off the girl she was wailing on. He’d pulled her away and out into the hall, caging her in against the wall to keep her contained, like she was some wild animal that needed to be controlled.

Her eyes met his and she bit the inside of her cheek. They stood there like that until her breathing evened out and she was visibly calmer.

“She is definitely not worth the 2 hour detention with Mr. Clegane, so try and ignore her and her posse, kay?” he advised, stepping back.

“Whatever...she was being a total bitch,” Arya countered, crossing her arms. She suddenly placed his face as the senior company commander for Alpha Company, “Oh god. Please don’t tell Jorell. She’ll have me running extra laps for a month…”

He shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest, “Don’t worry. I’ll tell her it was self-defense if she asks me about. Just, don’t do it again. You have training, you could seriously hurt them.”

She nodded and Gendry turned, making his way down the hall. Arya watched him go before easing back into the cafeteria for her backpack. They definitely couldn’t afford to buy her new school supplies right then.

After school, she walked with Bran to pick up Rickon and Robin from the elementary school down the street. She dug some cash out of her backpack and shoved it at Bran so he could stop and pick up some essentials for the house. She ruffled Rickon’s hair and watched as the boys made their way back to the house.

Normally she would walk back with them, but today she was working at the 7/11 to earn a little extra cash. She only worked two to three days a week when she didn’t have major homework or after school ROTC stuff. She’d been working for the Reeds, who owned the store, practically since they moved to the South Side. It wasn’t a whole lot, but it helped when they were just short on the electric or water bill.

After her shift was over, she walked home and went straight upstairs to check on Aunt Lysa. She pushed open the door to the bedroom and sighed heavily. The room was trashed and there were clothes scattered across the floor, the closet doors swung wide open.

“Fuck…” she hissed through her teeth.

She rushed down the stairs and to the kitchen where they kept the squirrel fund in a coffee can in the back of one of the cabinets. She pulled it down and started counting. She counted it twice and shoved it back into the cabinet angrily. There was only about half of it left and that meant they would need a new hiding space and they would definitely be struggling this winter. She started to help Bran with a snack for the younger boys after dialing the cell number to let Sansa know what Lysa had done. She knew it wouldn't be too long until Jon got there with the promised leftovers, but the time between lunch at school and dinner was always too long for Rickon and Robin to take without complaint.

She finished her conversation with Sansa, hung up, looked over at their mostly empty fridge and huffed, “Fucking Lysa…”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once everyone was seated at the table, Jon took his normal place next to Robb and across from Bran. Robb started fixing himself a plate and everyone else followed suit. 
> 
> Jon furrowed his brow, “Don’t we want to wait on Sansa?” 
> 
> Robb shook his head, pouring a cup of juice for himself and Rickon, “She picked up a shift at that bar down on York to make some extra money for the squirrel fund. I’ll make sure there’s a plate in the oven for her.”

Robb

_“Aunt Lysa is clearly not going to be any help. She barely gets out bed and our social security checks and her disability checks are just not gonna to cut it,” Sansa told him as she spread out the bills and a notebook in front of her on the table._

_"I know, but what are we going to do about it, San?” Robb asked, leaning back so that his chair was standing on two legs._

_“We’re going to have to start earning money on our own somehow or we’re going to be living on the streets.”_

_Robb chewed the end of his cigarette and rocked the chair slightly on its back legs. He knew she was right, but they were high school students and with part-time, after school jobs it was unlikely they would make enough to pay the bills, get Lysa whatever pills she needed, and take Robin to the clinic as often as he needed. The kid got sick if you so much as breathed in his direction wrong._ _He looked up at the sound of Sansa lighting a cigarette and taking a long drag. His twin rarely smoked, but if she was lighting up then whatever she had to say was serious._

_“You stay in school Robb. We’ll find you something part-time, but you need to finish. You have a chance of getting out of here. All I’m good at is running. I’ll quit, maybe take my GED later this year, and start working full time….”_

_“Sansa, no. I can’t let you quit. You could finish school and get a track scholarship to somewhere great! We could **both** get out of here,” he protested. _

_“Robb. I get Bs, I’m not dumb, but I’m not you. You could get out and do something and make a difference in the world or somethin’.”_

_He shook his head, “No. You could too. Mom and Dad would have…”_

_She cut him off, “Do not bring Mom and Dad into this. What they would have wanted was for us to have a responsible guardian, for all of us to stay together, and for us to have a roof over our heads. One of us has to make sure that happens and I am not letting both of us quit school and be stuck on the South Side forever. You have a better chance. You got the better PSAT scores and you will finish school if I have to drag you there everyday kicking and screaming. Understand?”_

_She levelled him with a look at reminded him of their mother and he knew the argument was over. The decision was made and no amount of talking or yelling was going to change it._

_He swallowed hard and the legs of his chair hit the hardwood with a thump, “I still don’t like it...We’ll go job hunting tomorrow. We can probably find shit for Arya and Bran to do for a little bit of money since it’s summer. Maybe Bran can babysit and Arya can do some work for the neighbors?”_

_She nodded distractedly, “Yeah...maybe. We’ll figure this out. We’ll survive. Somehow.” Sansa blew out smoke in one long exhale and went back to figuring out which bills they could pay after rent. He watched as the middle of Sansa’s brow took on a deep furrow and moved his chair closer to hers to help her with the math. After all, it was his forte. What his twin was sacrificing her future for._

He met Jon his junior year of high school on the soccer team. He’d managed to earn enough money at his shitty part-time job to be able to contribute and play soccer, which was pure dumb luck. He recognized Jon from the bright colored house that was a little worse for the wear, but no worse than his own home. They ended up on the same scrimmage team for the try-out and then both of them as starting forwards. They remained mostly friends at school and on the soccer field until Jon’s mother died.

By then, it was their senior year and Jon was already 18 so he got to stay in the house as long as he paid the rent. When Robb mentioned it to Sansa one night before dinner, she made him run down the road to invite Jon to dinner. After that, Jon was a regular presence in their house and somehow finding anyway he could to help them out while also providing for himself. Robb was thankful for the extra help with the younger kids and knowing that they always knew where dinner was coming from when Jon worked the night shift at the restaurant.

Robb passed the lit cigarette to Jon and slowly exhaled the smoke as they made their way down the street towards the bus stop to catch the bus into town. Jon worked at one of the more upscale restaurant as a server and Robb started working as a tutor at the city library the summer between junior and senior year.

“You leave in like a week, yeah?” Jon asked, taking a drag.

Robb nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets, “Yeah. Sansa’s freaking out a little, trying not to make it obvious, but you know how she is.”

He took another drag and tapped the end of the filter to shed the ashes, “Yeah. I do. You know I’ll keep helping out where I can, right?”

Robb took the cigarette and took several short puffs. They reached their stop and he leaned against a telephone pole, one foot propped up against it, “Yeah man, I know. It’s just Sansa being Sansa. I’m going to be home as often as possible. Still workin’ too, but not as much. She’s mostly gonna need help with Rickon and Robin without me there.”

“I’ll be here Robb. I’m right down the street. I’ll keep bringing dinners whenever Sansa needs me too and it's like you said, you’ll come home when you can.”

Robb nodded and Jon took one last puff of the cigarette as the bus pulled up to the sidewalk. He tossed it down and they pulled bus passes from their pockets before climbing on. They found seats near the back and plopped down in them with Jon on the inside near the window since Robb’s stop was first. Robb stretched his legs out and rubbed his hands over his knees, “Does it make me awful that I'm kind of excited to get out of there?”

Jon chuckled, “Nah man. I think if we all had the kind of chance to get out of the South Side like you do, we’d jump at it. It’s not exactly easy livin’ in our hood.”

Robb shook his head, chuckling softly, “Ain’t that the damn truth…”

They sat in silence for several moments before Jon pulled the book from his messenger bag and started reading. They rode the bus for several stops before Robb got off and headed towards the library.

Several hours later while he was working in the stacks reshelving books, he got a call from Sansa about Lysa. He listened to his sister explain what happened and reassured her that they would figure it out when he got home that night. He shoved his phone back into his back pocket and went back to reshelving his cart of books. The situation with Lysa didn't do anything to ease his worries about going to live in the dorms in a week, but it was time for him to start the next chapter in his life. And Jon was right. It wasn’t like he couldn’t come home if they really needed him.

Jon 

After his shift at the restaurant was over, Jon took the bus back to the South Side with the paper to-go bags from the restaurant in hand. He’d been a regular at Stark dinners since the first time Sansa invited him when he was still in high school. He knew the Starks didn’t have much to give, everyone knew that, but he was grateful nonetheless for the food and company after his mom died.

He pushed through the unlocked back door and was met in the kitchen by Arya and Rickon. The former doing dishes while the latter appeared to be trying to melt two action figures together over the toaster.

“Rickon if you break another toaster Sansa is going to find some wolves to feed you to,” Jon told him, setting the bags down on the counter.

Rickon looked up and gave him a mischievous grin, “Nuh uh. She likes me too much! I’m her favorite brother!”

He took plates from Arya and started setting the table with plates and silverware. He opened containers and started putting them on the table as the other Stark family members filed into the kitchen. Arya dried her hands and hurried Rickon to the table as Robin came down the stairs, coughing into his hand. Bran pushed into the house from the front with his friends, Meera and Jojen, trailing in behind him. Robb came through the front door shortly after.

Once everyone was seated at the table, Jon took his normal place next to Robb and across from Bran. Robb started fixing himself a plate and everyone else followed suit. Jon furrowed his brow, “Don’t we want to wait on Sansa?”

Robb shook his head, pouring a cup of juice for himself and Rickon, “She picked up a shift at that bar down on York to make some extra money for the squirrel fund. We’ll have to make sure there’s a plate in the oven for her.”

“Alright,” he nodded, putting food on his plate.

Jon knew exactly the bar Robb was talking about on York. Some of the management guys from the restaurant liked to go there after work, they always talked about how hot the chicks were and how much they liked the skimpy outfits that the girls had to wear. He ate his dinner and tried to squash the uncomfortable feeling he got in his chest when he thought about Sansa being harassed by customers at that sleazy bar. He cleaned up after dinner and made up a plate for Sansa while Robb got the kids off to bed. He was drying a dish when the back door opened and Sansa walked into the kitchen. He picked up another dish to dry as he watched her take off her scarf and hang it by the door followed by her coat. Her hair was up in a high, sleek ponytail with curls at the end. She wore shorts that ended just past her butt and a top that accentuated her breasts and ended well above her bellybutton. Wedged heels clicked against the floor as she crossed the kitchen to go to the fridge. She pulled a bottle of wine from the back of the fridge and poured herself a glass.

“You want one too?” she asked, leaning against the counter.

Jon nodded, “Yeah. I’ll take one.”

Sansa poured a glass of wine for him before putting the bottle back where it came from and taking a long sip from her glass. She pulled the squirrel fund jar from its new hiding spot and slipped a thick wad of ones from the apron that was still tied around her hips. She peeked into the oven and hummed happily at the smell of the warm food. “Thanks for saving me a plate.”

She pulled the plate from the oven using a potholder and carefully unwrapped the tinfoil from the edges of the plate. She moved to lean around him to pull a fork from the drawer before retreating to her side of the kitchen.

He dried the last plate and put it in the cabinet, “Of course. I had to fend off Rickon for your share, but I won in the end.”

“I’d be severely disappointed in you, Jon Snow, if you let my little brother beat you,” she joked.

He chuckled, leaning against the counter opposite her, “That’s exactly why I made sure I was the one who one. I couldn’t have Sansa Stark disappointed in me.”

She rolled her eyes and took a bite of her food. “This is so much better than I could ever pull off on our budget…” she managed between bites.

“I’m glad you like it. I wasn’t sure the kids would, but they seemed to enjoy it.”

“That’s good. Did Robb put the kids to bed?” she asked.

He nodded, “He did...Robb was telling me that you’re worried about when he leaves for the dorms next week.”

He watched as she bit her lip and tapped the tines of her fork against the edge of the plate. Her eyes roved the plate, as if surveying each item and asking for its opinion on what she should say. “Worried is a good word for it. I know I’m being a little silly since he’ll be back most weekends and he’s working on campus to help us with money, but it’s going to make dinner and after school stuff for the kids harder and I don’t even want to think about what a horror it’s going to make of bedtime if I have to pick up another shift like I did tonight…”

Jon set down his wineglass and moved to stand beside her. He took the plate from her and set it down, squeezing her hand lightly in his, “San, you know I’m going to keep helping out wherever I can, right?”

She nodded, “Yeah, of course. You know we appreciate the food and…”

He shook his head, “It’s not a problem. You guys helped me out more than enough when my mom died, it’s the least I can do. Besides, you guys are family at this point. If you need me to help with bedtime after I get off at the restaurant, I will. If you need anything, don’t be afraid to ask, okay?”

She looked up at him and smiled softly, “Yeah, okay.”

He levelled her with a serious look, “Seriously. Don’t be afraid to ask. I’m here for whatever you need. I’m your guy, okay?”

Sansa was quiet for while before her hand tightened around his and she nodded firmly, “Yeah. Okay. You’re my right-hand once Robb leaves.”

Jon gave her a smile and nodded, “Alright then.”

He moved away from her and closed the tupperware with the now cool food in it before storing it in the fridge. She finished eating her dinner and cleaned off her plate. They finished their glasses of wine in companionable silence, leaned against opposite counters. When her glass was empty, she handed it over to him and he washed them while she stood with her hands in her apron pockets.

She walked him to the front door and leaned against the open faded, blue door while he slid his jacket on and slung his bag over his body.

“See you tomorrow?” he asked, shoving his hands into his pants pockets.

She nodded, “Yeah. I should be home at the usual time.”

“Alright. Have a goodnight Sansa.”

“Have a nice night Jon.”

He stepped outside onto the front porch of the Stark house and went down the stairs, waiting until he heard the door shut and lock behind her before stepping out of the fence and making his way down the block to his own home. He was happy to do what he could to help the Starks and would continue to do so for as long as he could manage.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sansa scrunched her brow, “What? I have no idea what you’re talking about…I was just talking to him…”
> 
> Loras chuckled and finished rolling the joint in his hand before lighting it and taking a long drag, “Sansa Minisa Stark, I’ve heard a lot of shit come out of your mouth, but that is one of the worst pieces of shit I’ve ever heard come out of said mouth.”

Sansa

Wiping her hands on the back of her jeans, Sansa looked around the dorm room that Robb would be living in for his first semester of college. They’d just finished putting away most of his stuff and she helped him make the bed since his roommate wasn’t there yet. 

“It’s kinda small, don’t ya think?” she asked, one hand on her hip. 

“I think it’s pretty standard as far as college dorm rooms go, San,” Robb told her. “It’s bigger than the room Bran, Rickon, and I have been sharing for years now.” 

She sighed, “You’re right. It is…” She took another look around the room and checked her watch, “I should go. I picked up at shift at the bar again tonight.” 

“I really wish you’d try and find a different bar, Sansa,” he commented, sitting down on the bed. 

She shrugged and patted his shoulder, “I have to do what I have to do right now. We don’t have cushion like we normally do at this time of year. I’m looking and I’ll find something soon, but in the meantime, the bar and my housekeeping job at the hotel is what I’ve got to work with.” Sansa placed a quick kiss on cheek, “Love you. See you in a week or so for laundry day.” 

She picked up her purse from the chair at the small desk and pulled on her coat before walking out of the room. She followed the way they’d come up to his fourth floor room back to the lobby of the building. She caught the El once she was off campus and at the train station. 

Sansa sat down on a bench, putting her headphones in, and pulling out her book. She was in the middle of a particularly juicy scene when she felt someone’s hip bump hers and her right headphone get tugged out of her ear. She turned, prepared to smack the shit out of whoever decided they could do whatever they wanted to to her, and her eyes landed on Jon. 

“You ass!” she exclaimed, playfully hitting his arm. 

Jon chuckled, “Hello to you too. How’d moving Robb into the dorms go?” 

She shrugged, “Good. I miss him already, but he seems excited, well as visibly excited as Robb gets about anything. How was work?” 

“It was fine. We had a big group come in to have an early lunch meeting,” Jon told her, “Do you need me to come over and help with the kids, so you can go to work tonight?” 

“Do you mind? I could really use the tips from the bar.” 

He shook his head, “I don’t mind at all.” 

She nudged his shoulder with hers and smiled, “I don’t know what this family would do without you, Jon Snow.” 

The train came to their stop, they made their way down the stairs, and started along the familiar path to their little street. Sansa tucked her hands into the pockets of her coat as Jon plucked a cigarette from the carton and lit it, taking a long drag. 

“How are you feeling about Robb being at college now?” she asked, kicking at a pile of snow. 

He shrugged and offered the cigarette to her. She accepted it and took a long drag before blowing it out slowly in circles. 

“I thought we’d go to college together, but I was never as good at soccer as him and I’m simply not a brain like he is, so it’s okay. I’m going to miss our bus rides though, he certainly made them more entertaining.” 

She smiled, “Family dinners won’t be the same without him and his endless gaggle of girls at my table.” 

Jon chuckled and took the cigarette back after she took another drag. She watched his features as he inhaled deeply and blew it out slowly. Her eyes traced over his lips and she shook her head sharply before refocusing on the street. They reached Jon’s house first and she leaned against the fence separating his front yard from the sidewalk and he put a hand on the gate. 

She smiled and took a deep breath, tapping her fingers on the railing, “So, I need to catch the El to York Street around 8, do you think you can come by around 7:45 so I can make it to the station?” 

Jon gave her a half-smile, “Of course. I’ll be there.” 

She shot him a grin, “You’re godsent.” 

Sansa turned to walk the rest of the way to blue house on the end of the street as Jon made his way into the multicolored sensation Lyanna had left him. Margaery and her brother Loras were sitting on the front stairs of their home when she passed by. 

“Did I see you making eyes at Jon Snow over that fence, Sansa Stark?” Margaery asked incredulously. 

Sansa scrunched her brow, “What? I have no idea what you’re talking about…I was just talking to him…” 

Loras chuckled and finished rolling the joint in his hand before lighting it and taking a long drag, “Sansa Minisa Stark, I’ve heard a lot of shit come out of your mouth, but that is one of the worst pieces of shit I’ve ever heard come out of said mouth.”

She scoffed, kicking at a snowdrift piled up against their fence, “Loras Tyrell, I swear…”

Her best friend laughed from beside him, “Oh don’t get your lacy panties into a twist, he’s teasing, but...you could do and have done a lot worse than Jon Snow, sweetie.”

Sansa rolled her eyes, “I’m going to go get the kids fed before I have to go basically sell my body for tips.” 

She stepped away from the Tyrell house and went the rest of the way to her home. She crossed the threshold and chaos rushed over her as Rickon rushed her followed by a crying Robert. She shooed of Rickon, closed the door with her foot, and rubbed Robert’s back lightly as they moved to the couch. 

Sansa tried to soothe Robert as she thought about what her friends had said. She could do worse than Jon. Joffrey had been more bad than good and Harry was just a horrible decision all around, but Jon seemed to be a much more dangerous choice when it came down to it.

Daenerys

Daenerys “Dany” Targaryen sat down in the leather chair behind her desk and tapped a manicured, blood red nail against the cherry wood, thinking. The surprisingly thin, unassuming manila folder on her desk was highly intimidating. When Viserys died and the company was turned over to her, she’d also inherited their deceased older brother Rhaegar’s long semi-buried secrets. She’d been shocked and slightly dismayed when she’d found out about it. 

She and Rhaegar hadn’t really known each other. He’d married young and she’d been born to their parents when he was in his twenties with a wife and two young children that were 3 and just under a year old. However, she’d never expected a secret family that he wasn’t supporting or acknowledging. 

The existing file she’d received when she signed the papers to take the reigns of the company were old and outdated, but the kid he was hiding was born the same year as her and hadn’t been updated since he was 12. She’d decided to hire a PI to do some research into this long lost nephew despite protests from Jorah, one of the board members she trusted most. 

It'd taken months to get this file from the PI and it was a bit anticlimactic if she was being completely honest. She’d expected some thick file about child services being involved and hospitalizations and all kinds of scandalous things when she found out the mother was from the South Side of Chicago, but that was hardly the case. 

On paper Lyanna Snow was a perfect mother and Jon Snow had a pretty good life for growing up poor on that side of town. The house had been in the Snow family for ages and when Lyanna got sick, she’d made sure that Jon could have the house and wouldn’t be thrown out onto the streets when she died.

Now, her nephew was a high school grad working full-time as a server at a posh restaurant in downtown Chi-Town while his older brother and sister were running a tech firm and in med school respectively despite him having decent grades and being a solid soccer player. There was a knock on her office door and it pushed open to reveal her niece. 

“Hey there Aunt Dany. I had a little while to spare between classes and thought I’d come check in,” Rhaenys said, stepping into the office. 

Dany stood from her chair and moved around the desk to embrace her niece, “It’s good to see you. How’s school going?” 

They stepped back from each other and took seats on the couch that was against the right wall of her office. Rhaenys poured a glass of water for herself and took a sip before answering her question. 

“School is crazy. I knew med school was going to be insane, but medical microbiology and genetics is going to seriously drive me off the deep end if I don’t find a tutor,” she told her, “but it’ll be worth it when we start doing our rotations through the hospital and I get to actually work with patients.” 

Dany smiled, “You can do it. Just keep the end goal in mind. Have you heard from Egg recently? I can’t seem to get him on the phone.” 

She nodded, “Yeah, he’s busy too. Jetting away to some new city every week for the firm he’s at. He loves it. Oh! He’s seeing this girl he met at the firm...I can’t remember her name right now…”

“A new girl isn’t new for Egg. From what I remember, he was always bringing girls in and out of the house when he was in high school.”  
Rhaenys laughed softly, “All my friends were in love with him. I hated him for it. It was the worst. How are things here?” 

Daenarys shrugged and glanced to where the manila folder sat closed on her desk, “Pretty well. Still in the black and still taking over my life, but, don’t tell anyone, I’m kind of loving it.”

She laughed softly, “Your secret is safe with me, Aunt Dany.” She looked down at her watch and got up from the couch, “Oh shoot, I gotta go so I can make the train back to Northwestern.” 

They hugged and kissed cheeks and she waved goodbye to her as she took off down the halls towards the elevator. She moved to her desk and picked up the phone, “Missandei, will you please send for a car? I need to go to 5th and Roth.” 

“Of course Miss Targaryen. I’ll call them right now.” 

"Thank you Missandei.” 

Dany hung up and sat back down at her desk. She opened the folder and her eyes found the handsome young man with grey eyes flecked with blue-violet and curly black hair. She shook her head and tapped the photo before closing the file. 

“Oh big brother, what a secret you kept…” she murmured, leaning back in her chair to wait for the car service.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arya hung up the phone as Rickon and Robin came barreling through the kitchen. Their cousin was sounding better after the cold medicine and was back to being chased by the youngest Stark boy. 
> 
> She leaned back against the sink and sighed. Robb had only been gone for a few weeks, but everyone was already feeling the strain of his absence.

Arya

Arya rushed into the locker room after practice with her JROTC group to shower quickly. She dried off and wiggled into her hand-me down jeans, rolling the legs and stuffing her socked feet into boots. Once she was dressed with her backpack slung over one shoulder, she rushed down the halls to find Bran. She rounded a corner and slammed into someone. She hissed as her butt met the tile of the hallway, “Fuck.” 

“You good, Stark?” 

She glanced up and swallowed hard, “Yeah, sorry Gendry.” 

“S’all good,” he said, offering a hand, “You seem to be in an awfully big rush.” 

She let him help her up and huffed, “Yeah, Jorell ran us long and now I’m going to be cutting it close to get home on time when my sister calls…”

“That a big deal? Can’t you just call back?” 

“Sure, but she’ll leave her job early if she thinks somethin’s wrong and we just….I don’t have time to explain all of this. Sorry.” 

She darted around him and taking off down the hall to find Bran. She found her brother leaning against his locker talking to his friend, Meera. 

“Come on, we gotta hurry.” 

“Bye Meers!” Bran called, barely having time to scoop his backpack from the floor before Arya’s hand was around his wrist and dragging him down the hall, “in a rush, Arya?” he asked, slipping his wrist from her hold. 

“We’re gonna be late if we don’t hurry. We cannot afford for Sansa to leave work early for nothing. Let’s go, little brother!” 

Bran chuckled and ran behind his sister. This was just who Arya was. She was chronically running late and getting to where she needed to be within bare seconds of when she needed to be there. 

They picked up Robin and Rickon from the elementary school with barely a word to their teachers before they were off in a rush down the sidewalks again. The four of them dodged people and avoided calls from neighbors to get home on time. 

Arya broke out into a straight sprint when their house came into view, blowing through the rickety front gate, and slamming the front door open. She slid into the kitchen, dropping her backpack to the ground just as the wall phone began to ring. 

She listened for the boys clunking into the house and up the stairs before she picked it up on it’s fourth ring. 

“Hey, big sis.” 

“Hey, you sound out of breath, everything okay?” There was a rustle of sheets over the phone. She must be making a bed at the hotel during the call. 

“Yeah, fine. Just had to chase Rickon away from the microwave with those weirdo metal action figures Robb found. We so can’t lose another one.” 

“We definitely can’t. Thanks. So, Jon should be by later to help with bedtime stuff. I have to go straight to the bar after I clock out here for a shift. Can you manage dinner? I think we have so mac and cheese. Maybe some hotdogs…”

“Yeah. I can handle it. If I have to I’ll run down to the Reed’s store and pick up some stuff with my discount.” 

“You’re the best little sister.” 

“Yeah, yeah. See ya.” 

“Love you too.” 

Arya hung up the phone as Rickon and Robin came barreling through the kitchen. Their cousin was sounding better after the cold medicine and was back to being chased by the youngest Stark boy. 

She leaned back against the sink and sighed. Robb had only been gone for a few weeks, but everyone was already feeling the strain of his absence. She missed the days when Robb would be home on a day off from the library and make snacks for the boys while she started on some homework. She missed his help with the laundry and the way he could end the fights between the boys so easily. 

She pulled the grapes and cheese cubes she’d brought home after her last shift at the Reed’s store and set them at the counter seats for the boys to eat. The boys ate while she mixed up some Kool-Aid they had in the cabinets. 

Bran put the fruit and cheese back in the fridge once the younger boys were done and heated some hot dogs up on a pan while Arya started on mac and cheese. 

Jon walked through the door just as dinner was ready to serve up into bowls. Mac and cheese with hot dogs was a quick meal their Mom used to make for them on long summer days after she’d gotten home from her job as a seamstress and Ned was working the night shift as a police officer. 

Arya stood at the kitchen counter eating while the boys ate at the table. 

“Hey Ary. How was your day?” Jon asked, grabbing a bowl from the cabinet and putting some into her bowl.

“It was fine. I got out of ROTC late and it was a rush to get home on time. I didn’t want Sansa to worry and have to leave work…”

Jon nodded, “Yeah, I get that, but you got home on time.” 

“Just barely.” 

“On time is the only part that matters, kiddo.” He rubbed her back gently, “Try not to stress too much. I’m sure missing the first call wouldn’t have sent her running home.” 

She nodded and took a bite of her food, “Yeah, you’re probably right...I’m gonna sit in the living room and watch some TV before I have to really start on homework.” 

Jon nodded and started to clean up while eating his food, “I can manage in here.” 

Arya smiled and settled on the couch with her bowl. She sighed and looked into the kitchen to see the boys eating and shoving each other. 

Sometimes she hated being the one in charge and by herself with the boys, but her family was counting on her and this was how she could help. Being the interim person-in-charge and working her meager hours at the 7/11 was her contribution and that was okay. 

It had to be.

Robb

It’d been a couple weeks since Robb started college and he was mostly enjoying it. His work-study in the dining hall was bullshit and he absolutely hated the hairnet, it made him look like a total douchebag. Classes were fine. Definitely better content than his bullshit high school courses. He was missing the noise of the South Side, but it was nice to have a space that was mostly his own and not cramped. Sometimes he couldn’t help, but feel a little guilty at night in his comfortable dorm bed with the functioning AC and heat and the always hot enough showers, but he knew that being there and doing well would eventually mean he could provide all of that for his family, for his twin who sacrificed her own chance at getting out of their shitty neighborhood so he could take advantage of his chance. 

“How’s everything going at the house?” Robb asked Jon, as he leaned against the wall outside the building where his chemistry lecture was with his phone pressed to his ear. 

He liked to check in with Jon about what was going on with his siblings and younger cousin. It was safer to check in with his friend than his twin. She would sugarcoat and gloss over things to make sure he wouldn’t come rushing home unnecessarily, but Jon would be honest with him. 

“As good as it always is. Sansa is still working at the bar most nights. I think being the second most responsible one is wearing on Arya a little, but she’s hanging in too. The boys are just as crazy as ever. We’re holding down the fort here,” Jon assured him, “How are your classes going?” 

“They’re great. My english lit class is kicking my butt with papers, but my math and science classes are nothing like high school. I actually have to put in a little effort to get this shit right.”

Jon chuckled, “So horrible for you, to have to actually try.” 

Robb smirked, “Shut up...anyway, I should be home for the weekend coming up to do some laundry and give Sans a break from the ki…” 

His eyes caught sight of a gorgeous brunette with curly brown hair walk past him down the hall. She had amazing curves and a gorgeous face. 

“Holy shit…” he murmured. 

“You good Robb?” Jon asked. 

“Wha...what?...Oh yeah, fine. Anyway. I’ll see you when I get home this weekend.” 

“Yeah, see ya man.” 

He hung up and headed down the hallway towards his organic chemistry lecture. He took a seat in the middle of the hall, slouched down in his seat. He looked around the room and found the gorgeous girl from the hall standing to the side, talking with another girl. 

He smirked and stood up from his seat, making his way over to the two girls. Robb edged up to them and listened to the end of the conversation. 

“Just text me and we can set up a time,” the brunette said. 

“Thank you,” the other girl smiled and turned, heading to the back of the lecture hall. 

“Hey, how’s it going?” he asks, leaning a hip against the table. 

“Hi, uh, pretty well. What can I help ya with?” she asked. 

“Help me with?” he asked, furrowing his brow. 

“Yeah, did you need some tutoring? Extra practice problems? Copy of some notes?” 

“Uh, no. Why?” 

“Uh, I’m Rhaenys, the TA. Did you pay any attention on syllabus day?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Apparently not close enough…” he murmured, “No, I’m all good on the material. It’s fairly easy to be honest.” 

“Words I don’t hear about organic chem often. Well, if you don’t need help with the class, why did you come up to me?” she asked, her brow furrowing now.

“I saw you in the hall and wanted to see if you were free tonight.” 

Rhaenys laughed, “Free? Hardly ever. I’m a med student and a TA, I don’t have time to go to your frat’s party or whatever between studying and helping grade papers.” She glanced over his shoulder, “You should get back to your seat. Professor Luwin is about to start and you'll definitely want to pay attention today.” 

Robb shook his head and returned to his seat, slouching down to listen and take some notes. He knew when he went to college, he’d run into girls who were different from the girls he’d grown up with on the South Side. Normally any girl on the South Side would have been down to hook up or hang out with him simply by reputation. He’d maintained a steady rotation of girls at the Stark dinner table that Sansa often scoffed at over the years. 

This girl was obviously different. She was a TA and pre-med, so she was obviously committed and hard-working. He recognized her shoes from the fancy stores Sansa used to drool over when their family could afford to go for a nice lunch on the North Side before their parents died. She was a challenge and if there was one thing to be said about Robb Stark, it was that he never gave up on a challenge. 

Robb left the lecture hall that afternoon and headed back to his dorm to grab his book for his british lit lecture. He turned in his paper and headed for his seat in the back. He slouched down and pulled the school’s website up on his phone. There was a list of all the TA’s contact info on the different departmental pages. Maybe a little extra help with his organic chemistry equations and the different theories. 

He was headed home for the three day weekend, so he’d wait until he was back on campus to message her. He opened up his messages and shot off a quick text to Jon

_Hot TA in my organic chem lecture = work-in-progress_

_I’ll make sure to take the extra chair out of storage and warn Sansa to restock the first aid kit._

Robb rolled his eyes. A fist fight breaks out one time at a Fourth of July barbeque between two of his hook-ups and neither his twin or his best friend will ever let him forget it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dany and Jon were just months apart in age and they'd lived very different lives. She’d gone to the finest schools, had the best clothes, and all the comforts of a luxurious home. He’d gone to the public school he was zoned for, no doubt worn hand-me-downs from neighbors and secondhand from the Goodwill or Salvation Army, and lived in a house that wasn’t caving in on itself, but had seen better days.

Daenerys

Dany sat in the back of the town car looking across the street at her long-lost nephew walking up the cracked sidewalk up to the brightly colored house. The neighborhood was shitty and she’d seen about five police cars speed by since she got here just over an hour ago. She waited until the two brunettes smoking a joint on the porch next door made their way into their own home to get out of the black town car. 

She smoothed her black trousers, crossing the street to the colorful house. She opened the gate, up the stairs, and knocked on the door. She pushed her sunglasses on top of her head as the door opened to reveal the young man who looked exactly like the one who’d been photographed by her PI two weeks ago. His hair was a deep brown with curls for days and grey eyes with the slightest tinge of purple in them. He was shorter than she expected, but built like his father from the pictures she’d seen of her older brother. 

“Can I help you?” he asked, arms crossed over his chest, “If you’re from the bank, my mom bought…” 

“I’m not from the bank. My name is Daenerys Targaryen and…” she started. 

“If you’re not from the bank then why the hell are you here?” 

“I’m your aunt. Your father’s sister. I took over the family business this year and this little factoid was passed down along with everything else.” 

She watched him swallow hard and leaned heavily against the doorjamb. 

“So you mean to tell me that you’re this long lost aunt of mine and you just are showing up on my doorstep cause you felt like it?” 

Dany laughed softly, “I suppose, yes, when you put it like that, but...I’d like to extend an invitation for lunch so that we can talk about my, well, your family and what this exactly means for you.” 

“Means for me?” 

“The last name doesn’t sound familiar to you?” she asked. 

“Targar...Like the Valyrian hotel empire?” 

“That exact one.” 

“This is ridiculous…” Jon huffed and shook his head, “I guess I could meet you for lunch one day. I work in downtown Chi-Town at a restaurant. I can meet you down there after my shift on Thursday. It ends at noon, just name the place and I’ll be there.” 

“Sounds like a plan,” she pulled her cellphone from her jacket pocket, opened to the contacts, and offered it to him, “Put in your number and I’ll text the restaurant and time.” 

He typed in his cell number and handed it back, “So what should I call you? Auntie? Aunt Daenerys?” 

“Dany will do just fine. See you tomorrow.” 

She put her sunglasses back on and made her way back to the town car where Jorah was waiting for her in the driver’s seat. She slid into the back seat, glanced back over at the house where Jon was still leaning in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Take me home Jorah.” 

Jorah looked over his shoulder and pulled away from the curb to head back to the North Side to the million dollar mini mansion that’d been left to her when her husband died. 

She and Jon were just months apart in age and they'd lived very different lives. She’d gone to the finest schools, had the best clothes, and all the comforts of a luxurious home. He’d gone to the public school he was zoned for, no doubt worn hand-me-downs from neighbors and secondhand from the Goodwill or Salvation Army, and lived in a house that wasn’t caving in on itself, but had seen better days. 

Some days she could hardly believe that he’d been allowed to live in this neighborhood for so long. Then again, Viserys was far from the same kind of person she was and no doubt saw no need to help the boy out when their guardian hadn’t seen the need either. He believed in the old fire and blood motto of their family. He believed that everything was due to him now that Rhaegar was out of the way and father wasn’t around to criticize him harshly. 

Dany liked to think that Rhaegar would appreciate what she was doing for the son he never got to meet. She liked to think that this, among other things, made her better than her father and the older brother who she had no great love for even now that he was dead. Barristan Selmy, one of the board members she was closest to, knew Rhaegar well when he was alive and from what he’d told her he was a decent man with his share of flaws, but a good, generous man at the end of the day. 

Dany strived to be that and better. She wanted to create a better name for her family. Leave a kinder legacy that whoever took the company over after she passed could be proud of than the fire and blood tinged one her father and Viserys left behind for her. 

All she had left in the world was her niece and nephews. She would create something great for them. 

Now all she had to do was get Jon comfortable with her and these new circumstances of his before she introduced the siblings. Hopefully everyone would be happy about this new discovery after the shock cleared.

Sansa

Sansa hefted the laundry basket from the floor and shooed Arya from the couch to join the boys outside in the snow. She sat down in the spot her younger sister abandoned, changing the channel to a Project Runway marathon that was on, and started folding laundry. 

She was so far behind on the laundry it was going to take all of her day off to get it done. She’d been working her normal Monday through Friday at the hotel while picking up at least three shifts after her shift at the hotel and then picked up a Saturday night on a permanent basis at the bar. 

Sansa’d hardly had time to keep up on the house work and going to get groceries, and paying bills in her rare free time. She’d had to beg Jon one day last week to go down to the electric company on his day off with the bill money or they were going to shut off their power because she simply didn’t have time with how much she was working. 

She listened half-heartedly to the TV while she went about folding and put one of Rickon’s shirts in a pile next to a pair of Arya’s jeans in her growing pile. The creak of the front door opening echoed through the living room, she glanced over her shoulder and waved, “Hey Jon.” 

“Hey…” he said, shrugging out of his jacket. He threw it onto the chair and moved to the couch next to her, grabbing some of the laundry to start folding. 

She slipped a sweater of hers onto a hanger and looked at him, “You okay? I know you do a pretty mean Eeyore impression, but even this is a little much for you.” 

He shook his head and set a shirt into Robin’s pile, “Just a weird day.” 

“Want to talk about it or just fold laundry with me?” 

“Can we just listen to the crazy designers and fold?” 

“Yeah, of course.” 

They drifted mostly into silence except for the occasional comment on Project Runway and questions about whose piece of clothing he was holding. Soon all of the laundry was folded and they had beers in hand while they continued to watch Project Runway. 

“I met my aunt today.” 

“What? I didn’t think your mom had siblings.” 

“She didn’t. Apparently she’s my father’s sister.” 

“Your father? Really? So your aunt came to your house...did she need drug money?” she asked. 

“Hardly. She’s better off than any of us combined.” 

“Like how much better off?” 

“Like the head of the largest hotel chain in the country better off.” 

“Holy shit,” she took a swig of her beer, “And that’s your aunt? You’re somehow related to some ridiculously wealthy people?” 

“Apparently. She wants to talk to me about what this means for me.” 

Sansa scoffed, “And your father couldn’t have done all this?” 

Jon shrugged, “I don’t know. I didn’t think to ask and she didn’t offer.” 

“Well are you going to talk with her about it?” she asked. 

“I told her I’d meet her for lunch to talk.”

“Are you comfortable with that?” Sansa turned to face him, pulling a leg up onto the couch and crossing the other over her ankle. 

“I don't know that I'm comfortable with any of this, but I figure it's the only way I'm going to get any answers. I'm sure she knows more than I do. Mom always just said that I didn't need to worry about my father cause I was never going to meet him anyway.” 

“Why do you think she was so certain of that?” 

“I always assumed he was dead, but now...I don't know. What could possibly be in it for her to find me if he's not alive, ya know?”

Sansa nodded, “Yeah, I see where you’re coming from, but I think it’s just as likely that he’s dead and she thought it was time you knew.” 

Jon nodded and started picking at the beer bottle’s label, “True. I guess I’m just going to have to wait and see why she wants to sit and talk.” 

Sansa gave him a sympathetic smile and rolled the bottle between her palms. 

He looked over the piles of folded clothes and looked over at her, “You doing okay? I know things have been crazy for you here.” 

She shrugged, “I’m fine. Tired, but fine. You’ve helped a lot. I can’t even express how grateful I am that you’ve been here to help, but I miss the constant other adult presence in the house. I didn’t think I’d miss Robb this much.” 

He hummed his understanding, “I can see how that might be the case. You missing his never ending rotation of girls through the house?” 

Sansa laughed, “Hardly. I haven’t had a cat fight breakout during dinner in weeks. It’s made for nice dinner times when I’m home.” 

He shook his head, “He tell you about the TA from his organic chem lecture he’s trying to get on the hook?” 

“No! Why does he always keep the good stuff from me?! Tell me!” 

She sat up a little straighter and leaned in as he started in on the story of the hot TA. They spent the rest of the time until it was time to put the kids to bed regaling each other with ridiculous stories from work and her telling him about the craziest things she’s found in a room at the hotel while cleaning. 

Sansa stood just outside the door as Arya and Bran rushed past her pulling off wet shoes haphazardly before making their way up to get ready for bed or shower while Jon chased the two younger boys around the yard. He scooped them up under both arms and carried them inside with both giggling like mad. 

She smiled as she closed and locked the door behind them before following after up the stairs. She took Robin from Jon to get him dried off and warm as quickly as possible to hopefully stave off another cold. She tucked him in in the bedroom he used to share with his mother before closing the door and going to wish Rickon goodnight.  
She stood in the doorway as Jon pulled on his coat on their front porch, scarf in hand. Sansa was in awe of Jon Snow most days lately. She always knew he was a good man and loved her siblings, but the lengths he would go to to help her were sometimes overwhelming and filled her with all sorts of complicated feelings. 

“Do you need me to come over after my lunch with my aunt? I can do dinner for the kids if you need.” he said, once his jacket was on. 

She shook her head, “No, but thank you. I’m actually not working the bar tomorrow so I should be home in time.” 

“No problem. Goodnight Sansa.” 

“Goodnight Jon.” 

She worried her lip with her teeth as she watched him walk down the stairs and the cracked sidewalk. 

“Jon! If you need to talk tomorrow…” 

He turned to look over his shoulder, a half smile on his face, “I’ll keep that in mind.” 

“Good.” 

Jon stepped through the gate, lifting a hand in goodbye. Sansa closed the door and leaned against it heavily, letting out a sigh. She shook her head and laughed a little at herself before locking the door. 

“You don’t have time for this Sansa…” she murmured to herself, heading up the stairs to her bedroom.


End file.
